from the C-T...
http://www.take5online.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880501100
--BG
‘The Only Thing Worse’ is powerful look at gay life
by Jim Cavener, Take5 correspondent
published May 2, 2008 12:15 am
It’s rare that a show can mix comedy and serious drama with equal effectiveness. But the one-man piece “The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me ...” by the Immediate Theatre Project does both with smashing success.
Dan Butler’s skits about being gay in an often-hostile society resonate with authenticity and reality. Some are simply wise and insightful. Others are painful and poignant. Some are filled with laughter, others provoke tears. There is much to learn from this well-crafted script, and almost anyone will be touched with this insider’s view of being gay in late 20th century America.
Director Hans Meyer found the right actor to star in this multi-faceted journey. The bouncy, boyish Francis Kelly is endearing and a moving actor. His ability to communicate varied emotions is impressive. Anyone with a strong aversion to profanity may wish to tune out on the first episode, or wear earplugs. Kelly calms down and delivers some heavy material in a few of the later skits. His dialect work is commendable.
Meyer not only cast and directed the show, he did the sound design. Stage manager Jamie Nicholson runs the board and doubles as the DJ who spins and mixes the tunes with a professional’s skill. The music selections and cues are masterful.
The varied roles portrayed by Kelly are aided by the use of minimal costume changes. Company co-founder Lauren Fortuna is the costume designer who gets much mileage out of a few rags.
02 May 2008
The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me...
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2 comments:
David Hopes kindly agreed to let these comments from his blog be reproduced here:
--BG
Went downtown to see Immediate Theatre Project’s The Only Worse Thing You Could Have Told Me, a series of vignettes about gay life, superbly performed by Francis Kelley. People are always finding excellent actors I had never seen before. If you had seen Kelley on the street you would not have imagined him an actor, and even his acting was not very "actorly," which is to say, his transformation from one person to another occurred without artifice, without reminders to any part of his body to stay in character. Either very adept or very well rehearsed, or both
Very moving, relevant and universal, genuine. Great acting, great directing, great design. Nothing felt artificial.
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